Although some Irish inventors revolutionised the way we live today with inventions that everyone uses, they don’t always get credit for it.
While calling someone on the other side of the Atlantic seems like the most normal thing in the world today, it would not have been possible a few years ago if an Irish inventor had not made this discovery.
Other inventions that are part of our everyday lives were created by Irish people who are rarely credited for them. Here are a few to remember.
5. Perforated stamps – the reason we have wavy-edged stamps
Born in Ireland, Henry Archer invented a postage stamp perforation machine in 1848 after failed “rouletting” trials.
Before Archer, stamps were printed on a sheet and had to be individually cut. The invention sped postal efficiency by avoiding damage, waste, and delays in high-volume post.
Thus, using Archer’s method, perforated stamps had a wavy appearance because tearing along the row of small holes creates a wavy edge from the irregular paper fibers left between each perforation.
Britain adopted it in the early 1850s, after buying his patent for £4,000. The method then spread worldwide.
Next time you use a stamp, try to think of Archer. Today, the self-adhesive stamps only mimic his discovery with die-cut wavy edges for tradition, not function!
4. Trans-Atlantic messages – linking the “old” and the “new” worlds
William Thomson, known as Lord Kelvin, was born in Belfast and is one of the key scientists crucial to the success of the Atlantic Cable in 1866.
Thomson’s mirror galvanometer detected weak signals, enabling the first transatlantic messages from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Newfoundland, now Canada, using the Great Eastern ship.
Basically, a switch at one end interrupted the battery current to create long (dashes) and short (dots) pulses in Morse code, traveling approximately 2,000 miles across the Atlantic seabed.
At the other end, Thomson’s mirror galvanometer, a light mirror suspended from a conductive wire, deflected a beam of light to decode the faint signals on a scale.
Next time you call your cousin back home, from the other side of the Atlantic, think of William Thomson.
3. Flavoured potato crisps – from plain to Cheese & Onion seasoned crisps
Joseph ‘Spud’ Murphy of Tayto and his team invented flavoured potato crisps in 1954, developing a technology for adding Cheese & Onion, Salt & Vinegar flavours during manufacturing. The production of flavoured crisps started in Dublin at O’Rahilly Parade, off Moore Street.
The discovery was an instant hit, and other potato chip manufacturers quickly came up with their own flavours. The U.S later introduced Sour Cream and Onion and Barbecue flavours to the world.
Without Murphy’s invention, we would still be eating plain crisps, sprinkling salt from a side packet. No Tayto sandwich – which is one of the most Irish things ever that Irish people are obsessed with.
2. Colour photography – capturing the world as we see it
Before 1894, photographs did not capture life as we know it today, with colours close to reality.
Professor at Trinity College Dublin, John Joly, developed the first practical method for taking and viewing a colour photograph from a single exposure plate.
His invention used a glass plate covered with very fine red, green, and blue lines (less than 0.1 mm wide) that served as a filter screen. He revolutionised photography with a process that was simpler and faster than its predecessors.
Joly Colour Process was the first “screen” color photography method available on the market. It is thanks to him that you can return from a trip to Ireland with photos that do justice to its landscapes!
1. WiFi – the invention that connects us all
One of the things we use most nowadays is WiFi, and you guessed it, behind its invention is an Irish-Australian named John O’Sullivan.
In the early 1990s, the electrical engineer and his CSIRO research team accidentally discovered the technology that enabled wireless connectivity.
Following a failed experiment originally aimed at detecting faint radio signatures related to black holes, researchers developed signal-processing techniques that proved useful for wireless networking.
Twenty years later, this invention is still allowing us to be constantly connected to the digital world!
These five Irish inventions changed the world, but their inventors are rarely credited. Next time you call someone across the Atlantic, eat your favourite flavoured crisps, take a selfie, send a postcard, or use the WiFi, give a thought to those Irish inventors.
